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“HONORING DR. OLIVIA SMITH-BLACKWELL AS SHE RECEIVES THE 2017 GOLDEN STETHOSCOPE AWARD” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1459-E1460 on Oct. 31, 2017.
The State Department is responsibly for international relations with a budget of more than $50 billion. Tenure at the State Dept. is increasingly tenuous and it's seen as an extension of the President's will, ambitions and flaws.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
HONORING DR. OLIVIA SMITH-BLACKWELL AS SHE RECEIVES THE 2017 GOLDEN
STETHOSCOPE AWARD
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HON. BRIAN HIGGINS
of new york
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, October 31, 2017
Mr. HIGGINS of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. Olivia Smith-Blackwell as she receives the Golden Stethoscope Award from the Erie County Chapter of the New York State Academy of Family Physicians at the 2017 Cheplove Dinner. As we celebrate local leaders in family medicine, Dr. Smith-Blackwell's career and accomplishments deserve recognition.
Dr. Smith-Blackwell's career demonstrates her depth and breadth in the field of medicine, including experience in public health, hospital administration, and clinical care. Her first endeavor out of medical school was to serve our community as Associate Medical Director of the Medical Assistance Program at the Erie County Department of Health, earning a promotion to Medical Director two years later. For thirteen years, Dr. Smith-Blackwell continued her public role as the Western Regional Health Director for the New York State Department of Health's Office of Public Health. She brought her skills next to Sheehan Hospital, where she was President & CEO until 2002. Dr. Smith-Blackwell then moved on to open Meadow Family Medicine in North Tonawanda, where she continues to provide primary care to patients in our community.
Her educational background is equally as varied and impressive. Dr. Smith-Blackwell received her medical degree from the University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, now known as the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. She completed her residency in Family Medicine at Deaconess Hospital in Buffalo in 1979. For her undergraduate degree, she attended the University of Pennsylvania. After earning her M.D., Dr. Smith-Blackwell went on to attain a Masters of Public Health from Columbia University.
Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to join Dr. Smith-Blackwell's husband. Roger Blackwell, her family, colleagues and friends to recognize the impressive contributions she has made in the medical field as she receives the Golden Stethoscope Award. So many in Western New York have benefited from her care, and I am grateful she chose to dedicate her life to bettering the well-being of our community.
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